Happy Birthday
by Black Knight 03
Summary: Jack and Sydney celebrate their birthday. One-shot Jack-Syd


Disclaimer – Disney owns Power Rangers

A/N – Takes place a few months after SPD ends, a year after the episode Stakeout.

It was the night before Sydney's birthday and currently, she was out with her family for her traditional pre-birthday dinner. As Sydney picked at the food on her plate, she tried to avoid catching her father's eye. There was a growing tension between them lately, mainly over his daughter's profession, and the last thing she wanted to do was spark another argument.

However, Mr. Drew decided to push the subject. "Sydney, how much longer are you going to play at this?" he asked sternly. He had indulged his daughter in her decision to join SPD Academy, thinking she would quickly drop out and come back home. When he learned she had become a Ranger and was out in the field fighting, he wasn't happy and let her know it. He had his daughter's future planned out, and this wasn't in his vision.

Sydney sighed softly and slowly lifted her eyes to meet his. "Play at what?" she asked while trying to reign in her temper.

"This SPD thing," Mr. Drew told her. "I've indulged your whims long enough. It's time for you to seriously do something about your future."

"I am serious about SPD," Sydney said defensively.

Mr. Drew scowled, "What kind of future is that? Chasing bad guys around the place. What happens when you get hurt or something worse happens?"

"Like the threat of the end of the world?" Sydney asked sarcastically.

Mr. Drew scowled at his daughter. "Don't talk back to me," he snapped.

Sydney glared back at him, "Don't treat me like I'm five."

"Someone as to look out for your interests."

"That's your problem, you don't give a damn about what I want, all you care about is what you think I should be doing." She turned to her mother, "Mom?"

Mrs. Drew looked apprehensively at both of them before speaking. "Honey," she said to Sydney, "I'd just feel better if you weren't out there risking your life over nothing."

Sydney had had enough. Throwing her napkin onto the table, she abruptly stood up. "I am very good at my job and have grown up a lot over the past year, but that still isn't enough for you two, is it? I'm tired of this. Until you can accept that I can make my own decision about my own life, leave me alone." With that outburst, she walked out on her parents.

A little later, Sydney came storming through SPD headquarters, cadets scattering out of her way as she approached. Entering her quarters, Z, her roommate, looked up from her book as she heard her friend enter.

"How was dinner?" she asked skeptically and a little sarcastically.

"Wonderful," Sydney said with a scowl and a roll of the eyes. "What a way to spend your birthday. Being told by your parents that your wasting your life." Z winced a little as she watched her storm around the room, while changing into some workout clothes. "I'm going to the shooting range, you wanna come?"

Z just shook her head no and watched her leave. Biting her lip, _Syd as come so far, it sucks that her parents aren't behind her._

Later in the night, as both girls were asleep, Z kept hearing a soft giggling noise and it was bugging the hell out of her. Then when she heard Jack's name, Z groaned. "_Again?"_ she thought rhetorically. Picking up a pillow, she launched it at Sydney's head. "Syd," she snapped, "Will you shut up."

"What?"

Z groaned as lifted her head up and looked at her roommate, "It's bad enough I have to listen to you talk in your sleep, but I really don't need to listen to you dream about Jack." Even in the dark room, Z knew Syd was blushing.

"I was not dreaming about Jack," Syd shot back.

"Oh really," Z countered with a smirk, "than what was," she then tried to mimic Syd's voice, "Oh Jack, stop it. Jack."

"Shut up," was all Syd could come up with.

"Get off it, I know you like him." Z laughed softly as Sydney mumbled something under her breath, that sounded an awful lot like a little child saying do not.

"Jack's my friend," Sydney said, trying to defend herself, "Besides, he's with Ally."

"So? It's not like that's serious. Besides, if Jack as to be with some spoiled Princess to be happy, I'd rather it be with you."

Sydney snickered at first but then realized what she said, "Hey! I am not spoiled."

Laughing again, Z fell back down on her bed. "Goodnight Syd."

"I am not spoiled," Syd said again and then huffed as she tossed the pillow back at Z. Laying back down, Syd looked up at the ceiling. Z was right to an extent, she had been thinking a lot about the former Red Ranger lately. _But that doesn't mean anything. His birthday's tomorrow too, and I needed to come up with a present for him. That's why I've been thinking about him so much. Besides, dreams are just dreams._ Satisfying herself for the moment, Sydney rolled over and went back to sleep.

The next morning, Syd was up earlier than normal and was currently walking towards Jack's apartment. In her hands was a small pastry box that she had picked up earlier. Reaching, Jack's door, she knocked impatiently.

When the door opened, Syd grinned up at a disheveled and half asleep Jack. "Happy Birthday."

Jack looked at her for a moment, his brain still asleep, than as what she said started to sink in, a small smile tugged at his lips. Standing aside, so she could enter, "Do you know it's not even eight yet?"

"Yup," she said, a little too cheerfully for Jack's liking.

"So what has the birthday girl up so early?" he asked sarcastically, running a hand through his dreads as he tried to wake up.

Sydney grinned at him, "I really have to teach you how to milk your birthday." Jack snickered at her as he collapsed onto an old, well worn, couch.

"So what's in the box?" he asked.

Putting down on an empty space on his counter, "Cupcakes," she said with a small grin as Jack laughed, and then proceed to take two of them out. From her pocket, she pulled out two birthday candles and some matches, then stuck a candle in each cupcake.

After sitting next to Jack on the couch, she lit the candles and carefully handed one to him. "Happy Birthday Jack."

"Back at ya Syd," Jack answered with a smile before blowing out his candle.

Later that morning, after Syd made Jack clean himself and his apartment up, the two were walking through New Tech Park. They had an hour or so to kill before the party that Bridge and Z were throwing for them, so they decided to go for a walk.

Syd glanced up at him and noticed his far away look. "Something on your mind?"

Shaking his head as he came back to reality, "It nothing." Looking back at her, he knew the look she was giving him. She wasn't going to give in until he talked. "Me and Ally aren't together anymore," he said softly.

"I'm sorry," she said.

Jack just shrugged. "It just didn't work out. We're still business partners but we were getting pulled in two different directions. Ally's dad want her to take a more active role in the company and I was getting more involved in the Community Service. We barely spent any time together, so we figured it was better if we looked at what else was out there. If we get back together, we do. If we don't, we don't."

"Jack," Sydney started to say but Jack interrupted her.

"It's alright Syd. It was nice but it was mutual. I don't want to dwell on it. Time to move on."

Walking up to one of the gazebos, they sat down at the entrance. "How was your dinner?" Jack asked, trying to change subjects. He grinned as he saw Sydney roll her eyes. "That bad?" he asked teasingly.

"Do you think I'm a good ranger?" Syd asked suddenly.

_What the hell? That's got to be a loaded question._ Jack paused for a moment, trying to figure out why she was asking him this and then word his answer the best way possible. "Yea, you're a great ranger and officer. We all had our moments." He then grinned at her, and trying to make her smile, "Like never leaving you to guard a shipment of diamonds."

Sydney snickered and elbowed him playfully. Jack continued, "When I first met you, I though you were some pampered little daddy's girl. But I've watched you become not just a great ranger but also a good friend. Something happen last night?"

Nervously toying with her hair, she told Jack what happened. "My parents think I'm wasting my time with SPD. They want me to get married to some junior executive and start popping out grandchildren."

"And you don't want that?"

Syd glared at him. "No way, all the weight, swollen ankles," she whined. Jack snickered and smirked as Sydney grinned sheepishly, a little embarrassed. "I'm just not ready for that, yet. I like being a ranger. I'm good at what I do, and I think I could be even better, " she ranted as she stood up.

"So what's the problem?" Jack asked, looking up at her.

Turning to him, she frowned a little, "He's my dad."

Not really understanding, but knowing better than to just dismiss it, Jack tried to pick his words carefully. "Syd, are you a little girl or an adult now?" he asked rhetorically. "You can't live your life by someone else's rules. It's your life and you need to follow your heart. It was hard for me to leave SPD, hell, it was hard for me to join SPD."

Sydney snickered at the memory of a not too pleasant Jack pacing around the holding cell. "You're right," Syd finally admitted.

"Of course I am," he said with a smug grin. "But really, it's your life. You have to live with it and try and be happy in it."

"More of your street wisdom?" she teased, to which Jack just shrugged.

After sitting quietly for a few minutes, Sydney looked over at Jack, almost studying his features. Sensing her staring, he glanced at her with a questioning look. Syd blushed a little and just shrugged as she returned her gaze forward.

Suddenly Jack snickered. "I find it hard to believe that you don't want the life your parents want for you. To have some man take care of you, so that your every whim is taking care of."

"Well, maybe when I was sixteen," Sydney answered. "But now, I don't want someone holding me up. I want someone by my side, like an equal. Take the good with the bad."

"And there's a lot of bad," he teased. Sydney swung her foot sideways and clipped Jack's shin. He started laughing while rubbing his shin.

"Well what about you, Robin Hood?"

"I don't know. The same, I guess."

Not it was her turn to tease him. "Been a stray for so long, it's going to take a strong woman to domesticate you." As Sydney giggled at her own joke, Jack pretended to groan and rolled his eyes.

Reaching out, Jack quickly grabbed her sides and started tickling her. Letting out a surprised shriek, Sydney jumped up and began running off as Jack quickly took chase. After a few yards, Jack easily over took Sydney and he had her wrapped in a bear hug. "So what now?" Jack joked as he had lifted her up, so her feet were dangling off the ground.

"Put me down," she said in between laughs and gasps of breath. Finally relenting, Jack loosened his hold on her and she dropped to the ground. Neither though, moved too far from the other. With a small smile on her face, she looked up at Jack. With a small giggle, "You know, I've always had a soft spot for strays."

Grinning back, Jack wasn't sure what was going through his head but he had always been one to go with his instinct. "_They've worked well so far," _and at the moment, they were telling him to kiss her.

Stepping closer, both were beginning to move their heads towards each other, when they were interrupted by loud, robotic bark. Jerking away from each other, they turned to see R.I.C. and Bridge walking towards them.

"Hey guys," Bridge called out to them with a grin and a wave. "Z sent me to get you," he said oblivious to what he had just interrupted. He stopped next to Jack and looked at them both with a large smile.

Trying to hide her fluster, Syd toyed with the hem of her shirt. "About time," she said sarcastically as she started to walk off, with R.I.C. her side.

Jack watched Sydney walk for a second before turning to Bridge. "Anyone ever tell you, you have impeccable timing?" he asked with a sarcastic smirk as he lightly gripped his friend's shoulder. Bridge looked at him with a clearly confused look on his face.

"Hey!" Sydney's voice came across to them. Both guys looked over at her, a few feet away. "You guys coming? And Jack, if you're a good boy, I'll give you a treat," she teased..

Unable to stop himself, his smirk widened as he got the hidden meaning to her words. "Right behind you Princess," he shot back and turning Bridge, the two men went to catch up.


End file.
